“The study of ice has shown us with extreme clarity what humans are doing to the Earth.” –COLDEX Director, Ed Brook
Imagine having a cocktail on the rocks with 1.5 million year old ice…not sure if that’s on the table as a celebratory beverage for this collection of researchers from universities across America but it would be a sweet way to commemorate drilling out some of the oldest ice on Earth.
CBS News reports the team near the South Pole is part of COLDEX, a federally funded collaboration of American universities and science organizations. The seven week expedition is not a cushy assignment, team members are camping in extremely rugged conditions without the creature comforts of showers or flush toilets.
While useful information can be garnered by the ice itself the real prize is the ice bubbles trapped within the ice (picture mosquitoes trapped in amber from Jurrasic Park). Analysis of the greenhouse gasses in those bubbles will reveal the greenhouse gas levels from ancient times and indicate how the climate changed in the distant past.
Fascinating stuff. To learn more about COLDEX please continue HERE:
About
COLDEX is a multi-institution collaboration to explore Antarctica for the oldest possible polar ice samples and analyze those samples to understand the evolution and future of Earth’s climate system. It will also create and deliver novel educational and professional development programs for teachers, faculty and early career scientists, develop and implement programs to help make polar science more diverse and inclusive, and transfer scientific knowledge to stakeholders and the public. COLDEX is funded by the U.S. NSF Science and Technology Center Program and supported by the NSF Office of Polar Programs through Award number OPP 2019719.
COLDEX research includes exploration of interior East Antarctica using radar and novel “rapid access” tools to find locations to collect a continuous 1.5 million year ice core, roughly doubling the length of the existing continuous record. COLDEX will also collect and analyze much older ice along the Antarctic ice sheet margin, conduct ice sheet modelling to help understand the history and distribution of the oldest ice, and develop new laboratory capabilities for analyzing and dating old ice.
COLDEX education programs are bringing ice core science to K-12 and college level instructors through several summer professional development programs. A center-wide REU program and other research opportunities provide cutting edge research experiences for undergraduates. Opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral research are available at a number of COLDEX partner institutions. COLDEX is also organizing professional development workshops for early career scientists, specialized technical workshops, and a research scholarship program. These activities are open to individuals from COLDEX participating institutions and other colleges and universities.
COLDEX aims to broaden participation in polar science by both recruiting members of underrepresented groups in STEM to join all of our programs, and a targeted effort to develop a more inclusive scientific culture.
Knowledge Transfer in COLDEX focuses on bringing climate change knowledge to the public and a variety of other stakeholders, on understanding how the scientific knowledge we generate is disseminated through the media, through social networks, and in other forums, and on new exploration technology.
